Who is right? Is this fraud?

[Thefajita]

One partner in a couple frequently works away and has a large number of hotel loyalty points as a result. Their partner has suggested using these for a holiday, but they do not want to as they believe this is potentially fraud. Who is right here?

Our company has said we are allowed to use loyalty points accrued on work trips for personal use…..so just ask the company if he is allowed or not.

How on earth is it fraud??? If you have legitimately earned the points then you spend them.

@Dartmoorcheffy because the company has paid for the hotels, flights etc that the points have been earned on.
You need to check with your company, my husband is allowed to use his but you do need to ask.

For my DH's company this would be fine. It's an accepted perk of having to travel for work.

The hotel stays have always been booked directly and then claimed on expenses, so who “legitimately” should have the points- employee or employer?

Unless stipulated in their contract, I would assume these can be used by the employee as a perk of such employment.

Just like air miles that are generated during corporate travel

If the employer had covered the costs then you need to check with them, but all companies I've ever worked for have been fine with this.

It's one of the perks of the job.

Totally fine in my company

(and he should use a cash back site to book them in the first place, an airmiles credit card for the points and then the loyalty scheme the hotel has for triple whammy)

If you have to book yourself then their yours to use I'd say.

I reclaim my travel, I get the Tesco points on petrol and the LNER perks for train tickets. If employers want these perks they can do the booking etc.

It is worth checking with the employer as they may have a policy on this

Well they are his points aren’t they? Given to him by the hotel chain, not to his employer. 🤷‍♀️. I guess if he wants he could check if the employer prohibits employees from joining loyalty schemes, but having spent thirty odd years in multinationals with lots of travel, that isn’t something I have come across.

I have to book and claim on expenses, so I tend to used the Hotels.com website. The company has no idea or cares that there is a point system for every 10 stays. It's my account.

They care that I just that I book in my budget and turn up where I need to be.

Check with the company.

I used to stay away with work and had a loyalty card. The company let me keep and use the points. Im a worrier so asked

I guess you should check the policy, but if it's paid directly then expensed then sounds like it should belong to the employee.

Don’t assume that it’s fine. Check the policy and double check with your employer before you use anything. I know a public sector employee who was given a written warning for something similar- it’s not worth it. Even if it’s not fraud under the criminal law it could be a disciplinary offence.

At my company they belong to the employee. It’s one of the few perks of having to travel.

What is the agreement with the employer as to who owns the points?

My dh had a company car and he’d fill up with fuel at Sainsbury’s to earn nectar points. His company paid for the fuel. Can’t see how a company would have the manpower or womanpower to manage things like loyalty cards.
Would that be the same?

I would just check company policy or ask whoever looks after that area to be sure.

If hotels are booked on a personal account and the expensed to the company, the points belong to the person whose account it is.

My aunt does this. She has to travel often and book hotels with hotels.com and then uses the points for free nights for her and her husband.

As long as she books a hotel within budget stipulated by her company and shows up, they don't care how she uses any points accrued.

Consider it a small perk of having to go away alot. And of having to sort, book, and pay for your own hotels (before being reimbursed through expenses).

Its not fraud. Enjoy it!

If the company have an issue, they can of course book the hotel directly for their employee and keep the points themselves.

Well the "employer" isn't going to use them, is it?! They will be in the name of the person who used the accommodation. Someone is overthinking this - but no harm in asking the question if you're worried.

Of course it’s not fraud. The staff member paid, they got the loyalty points. The employer reimbursed the staff member.

If the employer wanted the points, they’d have a company account for bookings.

I work on a school so for a council . I once had to buy a £1 item for the HE department and without thinking used my club card. I actually got a small telling off for it as it was against policy 🤣

For 1 point !

Exactly that.

Companies that leave the donkey work of booking and then expensing to their employees really don't care about such things. They don't want the hassle and expense of employing extra staff to book transport and accommodation, so as long as you're doing that work yourself, they don't care about loyalty perks.